Thursday 23 November 2023

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez: agreement with Catalunya's politicians generates political disquiet


Agreement with Catalunya's politicians including an amnesty was a necessary condition to ensure that he had enough support to remain as Spanish Prime Minister, but it does not come without political disquiet.

Just a short time ago, Catalunyan politicians were persecuted and even imprisoned for daring to organise an independence referendum. There is also the issue of Catalunya's debt to be declared fully paid. 

There is discontent in Spain regarding such agreements. Some said that those who were declared to have violated the Spanish Constitution are now being pardoned as a way to ensure political continuity.  There are also those who say that the agreements were an essential part of a deal to maintain political stability in Spain as a whole.

It is difficult to foresee the outcome of the present political impasse. Will the agreement re-ignite the independence process or was the agreement reached with pre-conditions that could prevent another referendum? Was a financial package for Catalunya a way to buy time? As long as the agreements do not lead to yet another political crisis, Pedro Sanchez should feel that it was the right option in a country in which absolute majorities seem to be a thing of the past.

Spain is not alone. Just hours ago, Netherlands went through an electoral process with the aim of choosing a new Prime Minister.  Being a majority is no guarantee. Because of political fragmentation, the political party that got more votes (more than 30 per cent) is by no means assured of being able  to choose the next Dutch Prime Minister.

In Germany, the survival of the ruling coalition led by Olaf Scholz is by no means guaranteed and we have a long way to go before the next Federal Elections due to take place in 2025. In recent state elections, CDU seemed to recover although only a little and Alternative fur Deutschland has reached more than 21 of popular support.

We could go on reviewing what is happening in different countries of the European Union and finding similar situations across the board.


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